Cushman Steering Wheel Woes

andrew_

I've started the rebuilt of my vintage Cushman cart (what I think is a 1965 Trophy 4 wheel). The steering wheel nut took three days of intermittent torch and penetrating oil (PB) to get off. The wheel itself is proving far more difficult.

As you'll see from the pics attached, I've removed all of the plastic around the actual metal. The steering wheel itself wasn't worth saving. The weird triangle, jaggy piece of metal is what I can only assume was used to remove the wheel back in the day. The rounded "nut" at the top under this jaggy piece is spring loaded, hence why there is a flathead screw driver in the picture - to keep the gap visible.

I picked up a three prong puller from harbor freight but that was a no go when there was still plastic (just bent the plastic). The jaggy metal is so soft I can't get a good grip without bending it. I've spent hours today alternating torch and PB's and it wont budge. I've hit it from the underside with a huge freaking hammer and it won't budge. I can't get the pulled around the splines on the wheel either, and I can't get the pulled between the jaggy piece and the base of the wheel because that damned nut is spring loaded.

I'm pretty much out of ideas, and I'm nearly ready to slice the thing in half and put a new steering column and gearbox in. I would love some ideas or expertise on how I might get this thing apart. Please share!

Attached Images

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BGW

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gornoman

It's old, and I'll bet the two materials are dissimilar metals. Can be a bear. Is there ANY chance that the wheel is threaded onto the shaft? Never seen one like that, but I've never looked at a Cushman....

andrew_

Great question - I spent a considerable amount of time checking exactly that. The space between the threads and the wheel base inner diameter is too great to be threaded without any play. There's also no threading below the wheel base on the shaft. If it was, there's nothing to grab onto to thread the wheel on, let alone off.

Best I can figure, it's not threaded on.

racin161

Andrew if it were me at this point I'd slice the color vertical in at least 2 places with a cutoff tool or if your good with a torch scarf it as close to the steering shaft as possible if it's steel then it will come off and you'll save the steering shaft which may be hard to find.


LOU

Unforgiven

PB blaster,.... bearing puller,....impact wrench

run bolt in and out, alternating pressure no pressure

do that a few times, if it don't give run bolt down with as much pressure as you can put on it then take torch and heat outside of hub,..... careful when it comes off,....it comes off in a hurry

andrew_

Unforgiven, thanks I'll give that method a shot.

Being that the center shaft is hollow, any thoughts on slicing it with a sawzall just below the steering wheel hub and re-threading the end of the shaft for a nut? I'd be losing 2 inches at most.

Unforgiven

oops didn't see it was hollow,....scratch the bearing puller it will mushroom the end. you could cut and reweld a solid splined shaft in it out of a donor cart.

andrew_

That's not a bad idea. I have a black pipe cap over the end to protect it at the moment. I'll keep trying heat and the bearing puller for a little while longer and then go nuts on it with a sawzall.

andrew_

I gave in and took the sawzall to it. The bottom of the wheel hub nearly looks welded. But, that's behind me now. I'm sure I'll be resurrecting this thread again in a month or so when I have the body work done. Thanks again for the suggestions.